


Reconciling the Past

by Rkarena59



Category: Frizzies Franco Baldwin and Elizabeth Webber General Hospital
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 11:37:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20705357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rkarena59/pseuds/Rkarena59
Summary: Franco is working through his trauma after finding out Jim Harvey sexually molested him





	Reconciling the Past

He looked at the screen he had just repaired. It was the third one he had finished and he wondered why the boys were constantly tossing their frisbees against the windows. He didn't mind repairing them, it kept his mind off the recent revelations about his past that had come to light. It was on days like today, when he wasn't at the hospital, that the dark memories kept coming at him and he needed the distractions to keep from falling into that black hole that kept beckoning. He paused and looked at his work. "Not bad for an artist extraordinaire, Franco, now what else can you do?"

  
Water dripped into his eyes and he wiped the sweat off his brow. He reached for an unopened bottle of water and drained it. "Hmm, maybe the next project will be indoors." He gathered up the tools he had been using and headed into the kitchen. Setting the tools down, he washed his hands and laughed looking at his left hand which sported two separate bandages. "Artist extraordinaire maybe but handyman not so much." He was drying his hands when he felt a tug at his shirt and looked down into Aiden's big brown eyes.

  
"Hey, Buddy, what can I do for you? Aren't you supposed to be straightening your room?"

  
Aiden shrugged, "I was but something's wrong with my toy box, the top won't close. Can you fix it?"

  
"I'll take a look at it and see what I can do. You go get your brothers and you guys can take a break and have a snack." Aiden smiled and ran to the stairs. Franco put three glasses on the table, filled them with milk and set some cookies on a plate. He heard cheers coming from upstairs and smiled. Soon the hallway above sounded like a herd of elephants was headed his way. As the boys ate and chatted, Franco grabbed a cookie and headed upstairs to look at Aiden's toybox.

  
****

  
Franco paused and checked the progress of Cam and Jake and saw they had done a pretty good job in their rooms. When he opened Aiden's door he had to laugh. Aiden had stuffed everything into his toy box. There was so much stuff that it was overflowing on the floor. He continued laughing as he settled himself down on the floor in front of the box and started removing things. Aiden had stuffed the box with books and stuffed animals and even dirty socks. "Whew, I don't think your mother wants those in there, Buddy." He gingerly tossed the socks to the side and continued to organize the clutter. He was getting to the bottom of the box when his hand stopped. Franco's heart started beating too fast and he felt like he couldn't catch his breath. He stared down and slowly reached for a small stuffed dragon. His hand shaking as he drew it out.

_   
_ _Suddenly he was back in the basement. He was standing just under the stairs and counting as Andy went to hide. "Ready or not here I come." He started looking and then heard Uncle Jim calling him and Andy. He spotted Andy's little green dragon on the floor next to their toybox. He went to the box and locked it. _

_   
_ _"Bobby. let me out.!" he looked around and smiled softly._

_  
_Franco was sobbing, trapped in the image of Bobby locking Andy in the box. In his mind, he heard Jim Harvey telling him that he had terrorized Andy. Franco was heartbroken. Kevin hadn't been able to explain the scene and now it once again was tearing him apart. Why had he done it? Why? He sat there rocking and crying in despair as he held the little dragon.

  
  
****

  
Downstairs the boys were laughing and eating when the doorbell rang. Jake was the closest to the door so he got up and opened it. "Uncle Drew!" he hugged his uncle and let him in. "Hi what are you doing here?"

  
Drew looked down at Jake and smiled at the other two boys. "Actually, I'm here to see Franco. I stopped at the hospital and your mom told me he had the day off. Where is he?"

  
Jake looked at his brothers and shrugged "I don't know. He gave us some snacks and left the room."

  
Aiden spoke up, his mouth full of cookies "He went to look at my toybox. It's broken. He's been fixing things so I asked him if he could fix my box."

  
Drew chuckled. "He's been fixing things, huh? I guess I'll go see if I can help. You boys make sure you clean up your snacks." The boys nodded in agreement and Drew headed upstairs. He remembered Elizabeth telling him that Franco was doing everything in his power to ignore the stuff he had learned about Harvey. As he neared Aiden's room he heard what sounded like a child crying. He pushed open the door and saw Franco on the floor. His legs were crossed in front of him and his head was down. His shoulders shook with his sobs.

  
Drew moved quietly toward Franco and then stopped when he saw what Franco was holding. Seeing the dragon and Franco in front of the toy box brought forth a long-forgotten memory. He gasped as it flooded into him.

  
_He saw his brother counting under the staircase and he went to hide. Suddenly he heard the lock on the box go down. "Bobby let me out.' _

_   
_ _"Shh, Uncle Jim is coming.: Be quiet. he can't find you." He got quiet because Bobby sounded scared. The next thing he knew Bobby was sitting on the box kicking it with his feet. and he heard Uncle Jim talking to Bobby._

_   
_ _"Listen to me!" Uncle Jim sounded mad. and upset with Bobby_

_   
_ _"No!" Bobby said anxiously._

_   
_ _"Nobody is going to believe you, Bobby. Not your Mother, not Andy, All you do is lie."_

_   
_ _"I'm not a liar." _

_   
_ _"Yes, you are. It's our secret do you understand? I'll see you upstairs, do you hear me? Now put that dragon down and come upstairs."_

_   
_ _Andy heard Bobby open the lock and leave. He climbed out and found his dragon lying on the floor where he dropped it. Bobby was gone._

_  
_Drew took a deep breath. The memory was clear as day in his mind. He knew it really had happened and he knew something about his dragon had brought Franco to tears. He lowered himself to the floor next to Franco. "Franco..." Franco didn't seem to know he was there. Drew frowned. It reminded him of the time in Harvey's office when Franco had withdrawn. He carefully touched Franco's elbow. "Bobby, why are you crying?"

  
Franco sniffed and wiped his eyes like a child. "Because I hurt you. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry Andy. I locked you in the toybox and wouldn't let you out. Uncle Jim said I was a bad boy."

  
Drew bit his lower lip and closed his eyes for a moment. Harvey had really messed with Franco and the more he heard the gladder he was that he was the one who had killed Harvey. He had come to talk to Franco wanting to see if Franco had remembered more of their past. But he had never expected to find Franco like this. "Bobby, stop, You didn't hurt me. You were just trying to keep me safe. You're my brother and my best friend. Remember, I gave you that rabbit's foot because you are my buddy." 

  
Franco turned and looked at Drew. "The rabbit's foot?"

  
"Right, the rabbit's foot. Remember how it helped us escape?"

  
Franco blinked and nodded. "Right, we escaped through the sewers. Elizabeth didn't even mind that I smelled like a landfill." Franco paused and his eyes focused on Drew. "Drew?"

  
Drew breathed a sigh of relief. "Franco. You alright?"

  
Franco's eyes widened and he looked around and then saw the dragon he was holding. "Oh, God! It happened again. I'm sorry, you must really think I'm a total nutcase now. Kevin said things might come back and bite me in the butt and I guess something just did. You were right about me. I'm not as good as Elizabeth thinks. I terrorized you when you were little and you don't even remember."

  
"That's what I came to talk to you about today. I've started remembering some things. I remember Betsy leaving me on the steps of the foundling home and I remember telling her I would be okay. I came over wondering if you had had any more memories of our lives together. The boys said you were up here and so I came to see if I could help and if we could talk. I don't think you're a nutcase. A little crazy, yeah. Who wouldn't be after what Harvey did to you? Something else just came to me when I walked into this room and saw you. I remember the toybox."

  
Franco stood up quickly., agitated and squeezing the dragon, hugging it close like a lifeline. "I'm sorry Drew. I don't know why I did that. I don't."

  
"Franco settle down and breathe. I know why? I remember everything. You were trying to protect me again. I heard Uncle Jim while I was in the box. He was really mad at you and then he told you to go upstairs. He hurt you again that night didn't he?" Franco looked at Drew his eyes glistening with tears. Drew dropped his gaze first and his voice choked."You don't need to be sorry, Franco. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't know the kind of man you are until now." He held out his hand to Franco. "I need my best friend."

  
Franco dropped the dragon and took Drew's hand. He voice was hoarse with emotion. "So do I."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
